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Regional Península de Yucatán y Caribe Mexicano Parque Nacional Arrecife
de Puerto Morelos: Parque Nacional Arrecifes
de Cozumel: Parque Nacional Costa
Occidental de Isla Mujeres, Punta Cancún y Punta Nizúc
y Parque Nacional Isla Contoy: Reserva de la Biosfera
Banco Chinchorro Reserva de la Biosfera
Sian Ka´an y Reserva de la Biosfera
Arrecifes de Sian Ka’an
International Coral Reef Symposium Proceedings encompass a broad spectrum of coral reef science, and demonstrate a growing expansion from the biological and earth sciences to non-traditional disciplines, including the social sciences and economics. International
Society for Reef Studies (ISRS) was founded in 1980 "to
promote for the benefit of the public, the production and dissemination
of scientific knowledge and understanding of coral reefs, both living
and fossil." Included on the site are all the society usuals plus
Reef Encounter, the societies monthly newsletter, and reef-related
meetings and jobs.
Coral Health & Monitoring Page (CHAMP) is the premier science
site on the state of reefs with up-to-the-minute C-MAN data on environmental
conditions from several reef sites; satellite maps of sea-surface
temperature; archives on bleaching, spawning, and sediment/pollution
damage reported by subscribers of the CHAMP list-server; and an
extensive bibliography of health-related papers. A must-see for
all. International
Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI) is a partnership among the
US, Australia, Japan, UK, Sweden, France, Jamaica, Philippines,
and a host of NGOs to protect, restore, and sustainably use coral
reefs and related ecosystems (hope this includes a ban on nuclear
testing too?). The initiative aims to achieve this goal by highlighting
the value of reef ecosystems and the threats they face from human
activity. ICRI will promote education programs, improve coastal
management and coordinate research and monitoring at global, regional
and national levels to ensure that reef resources are managed sustainably.
The monitoring part is already taking shape with the establishment
of the Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network (GCRMN) which consists
of 6 regional monitoring centers that collect data for inclusion
in the (global) Reef (data) Base at ICLARM. The nerve center of
this network, the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS),
will ensure that data collection and recording procedures are standardized. Neogene Marine Invertebrates
of Tropical America is a taxonomic resource for several
groups of marine organisms that has been developed by Dr. Ann F.
Budd and her associates at the Universities of Iowa and Glasgow
(U.K.). The best section by far is the guide to the identification
of common Caribbean reef corals which includes two identification
routines as well as illustrated definitions of morphological attributes
used in coral taxonomy. Very useful. Coral Reef
Research Foundation, CRRF, is a research organization based
in Palau that is dedicated to identifying reef organisms useful
in the fight against pandemics such as AIDS or cancer. They send
samples of reef species -- many of them new to science -- off to
the National Cancer Institute where their compounds are analyzed
and incorporated into a global Natural Products data base. Stuttgart Reef Group have put together a marvelous page on Jurassic reefs in Europe. Although the prose has suffered a little in translation, the site is a visual feast and is worthy of its 4 star Magellan rating. Perhaps the most outstanding section is the Jurrassic Reef Park which is a popular view of their scientific work aimed at the K12 school community.
AlgaeBase - a database of information on algae that includes terrestrial, marine and freshwater organisms. Nongeniculate Coralline Algae page by Derek Keats, is a superb and well written compendium on coralline taxonomy/biology, with an extensive bibliography. Another excellent resource and well worth a visit. CORALPEDIA - A guide to Caribbean corals and sponges Hexacorallians of the World - Catalogue of species, bibliography of literature in which the y were described, inventory of type specimens, distribution maps, and images. Octocorals - A Guide to Identification species from South Florida offers practical identifications of the shallow-water octocorals of southern Florida from Indian River Lagoon through the Florida Keys, Florida Bay and the Dry Tortugas. Guide to scleractinian coral recruits from the Caribbean elaborated by INVEMAR. The Sponge Guide presents over 230 species morphs of sponges from the Caribbean region.
The
Seaweed Site: information on marine algae, is a source of
general information on all aspects of seaweeds. Seaweeds are marine
algae: saltwater-dwelling, simple organisms that fall into the somewhat
outmoded, but still useful, category of "plants".
The
National Coral Reef
Institute (NCRI) was established by Congressional mandate
in 1998 due to concern over the rapidly declining health of reefs.
NCRI's mission is to conduct scientific research, education, and
community service in ecology, monitoring, methods, restoration,
and management of coral reefs, including those damaged or destroyed
by natural or man-induced events. At the same time, NCRI cooperates
with graduate and undergraduate academic programs to provide education
and training to marine scientists, engineers, managers, and educators
about the diverse problems and issues surrounding coral reef ecosystems.
AIMS, the Australian Institute for Marine Science, is a government agency that has been conducting tropical coastal and continental shelf research since 1972. Their present research on the Great Barrier Reef includes sustaining reef biodiversity by determining the capacity of reef populations and structures to resist stress and disturbance. It focuses on the coral communities which build reefs, and phenomena which destroy (crown-of-thorns starfish) or displace them (macroalgae). Another major reef project at AIMS uses corals as environmental indicators in order to distinguish natural variability from the human-induced variety. In addition, AIMS recently started a project with IBM to improve management of the GBR. The aim is to produce computer visualizations which break down the barriers of communication between oceanographers, biologists and resource managers. Nice site...check it out. Australian Coral Reef Society (1928). Affiliated with the U of Queensland, this charitable society gives impartial expert advice and promotes scientific research by supporting graduate students through donations. It organizes annual scientific meetings and publishes a newsletter on its recent contracts and up to date reports of research activities and trends. The society evolved from the Great Barrier Reef Committee, founded in 1902 to promote research and conservation on the GBR. This committee facilitated the historic 1928-1929 Great Barrier Reef Expedition and founded, then managed, the Heron Island Research Station -- Australia's first coral reef field research station. The Society has played a prominent role in bringing major conservation issues to the attention of governments and the general public, notably the crown-of-thorn starfish outbreaks and the Royal Commission into oil drilling on the GBR which was the catalyst for the establishment of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority. Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority. Established in 1975 "To provide for the protection, wise use, understanding and enjoyment of the Great Barrier Reef in perpetuity..," the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, is the world's largest marine protected area. Its management is guided by a 25 year Corporate Plan to attain Ecologically Sustainable Development. The Marine Park Authority divides the GBR into four huge management sections; within each section, there are three types of management zones--general use zones, in which most human activities are allowed (except mining and oil drilling); national park zones, more or less "look but don't touch" areas; and preservation or scientific research zones, in which the only activity permitted is scientific research. The park now generates income primarily from tourism and commercial fisheries. The success of the entire concept rests on the voluntary compliance of the general public and specialized user groups such as divers. Much of the park's $20 million annual budget is spent on community outreach and education programs. So far, the multi-use management system for the Great Barrier Reef has proved successful in responding to the challenges facing the park. Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute does basic research on the ecology, behavior and evolution of tropical organisms in order to determine the genetic, behavioral and ecological factors that control and maintain high tropical biodiversity. Specifically, their research addresses the sensitivity of tropical ecosystems to environmental change induced by agriculture, industrialization and human population growth. This is strongly reflected in STRI's reef program and studies include monitoring the effects of El Nino, outbreaks of disease in reef organisms, oil spills, and other natural and human disturbances. As part of this program, scientists have recently completed a six-year study of the impact of a major oil spill on a Caribbean reef near the Panama Canal. Decades of study prior to the spill allowed researchers to develop a "before" and "after" picture enabling them to determine the biological consequences of the spill. The study revealed that such spills can have extremely long-lasting effects in environments like reefs and mangroves, where only a few 'key' organisms provide the structure of the habitat itself. It also showed that some oil spill clean-up efforts can destroy habitat structure and may do more harm than good.
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